Flail device and lawn cleaning and packing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A flail blade having a surface conforming to a first curvature and upper and lower edges conforming to a second curvature. The flail blade is affixed to the end of a flail which is rotated within the housing of a lawn sweeping device. The flail blade travels adjacent the inside surface of the housing, the edges conforming to the curvature of the adjacent parts of the inside surface, the flail blade surface having an arcuate-shaped portion proximate its point of attachment to the end of the flail and having a planar-shaped portion contiguous with the arcuate-shaped portion at the end opposite the point of attachment to the flail and extending in a direction opposite the direction of travel of the flail.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,909,220

Ylinen Sept. 30, 1975 FLAIL DEVICE AND LAWN CLEANING Primary Examiner-Bernard Nozick AND PACKING APPARATUS Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Henderson & Strom [76] Inventor: Laurie L. Ylinen, 2211 26th St.,

ROCK Island, Ill. 6120] 57 ABSTRACT [22] Filed: June I974 A flail blade having a surface conforming to a first 2 1 Appl' 475 12 curvature and upper and lower edges conforming to a second curvature. The flail blade is affixed to the end of a flail which is rotated within the housing of a lawn U-S. CL p g device The blade travels adjacent the 2 55/459 inside surface of the housing, the edges conforming to ll'it. Cl. the curvature f the adjacent parts of the inside [58] Field of Search 55/296, 337, 459, 395 face the flail blade Surface having an arcuate shaped portion proximate its point of attachment to the end [56] References C'ted of the flail and having a planar-shaped portion contig- UNlTED STATES PATENTS uous with the arcuate-shaped portion at the end oppo- 1,165,401 12 1915 Fender 55/396 site th point f attachment to the flail and extending 1,245,540 11/1917 Wegncr.... 55/411 in a direction opposite the direction of travel of the 1,507,271 9/1924 Bennctt.... 551395 flaiL 3,755,992 9/1973 Ylincn 55/296 1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures fix I3 29 I6 27 l4 55 58 a6 54 33 49 GH 1h f 32 US. Patent Sept. 30,1975

FLAIL DEVICE AND LAWN CLEANING AND PACKING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to heavy-duty lawnvacuum cleaning and packing machines. More particularly the invention relates to such machines having a frustrurn shaped housing with 'an air intake'affixed thereto and tangentially disposed to the inside slanting wall of the frustrum. Air is drawn through the intake, into'the housing, and out the smaller opening of the housing by" a blower. Debris which has been drawn into the 'h'ousing is struck by rotating flails and driven out the larger" opening of the housing into a receptacle affixed thereto.

Such a device is k described in U.S. Pat. No.

3,755,992. The flail provided therein has a club'head which rotates adjacentthe inside wall of the housing.

The shape of the club head islvery like that of a golf receptacle is fully packed with debris, the club'head i club, having a flat surfaceand straight edges. When the tends to dig into the already packed debris, striking it back into the housing. And even when the receptacle is not fully packed, the club head tends to shred leaves and other debris before packing it into the receptacle;

Both the shredding ,of the debrisand digging irito packed debris.result-in-friction and therefore slowed operation ofthe lawn cleaning and packing apparatus and much wastage of energy.

" SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to this invention a flail device is provide d which is suitable for use in lawncleaning and packing;

machines.

In lawn cleaning a housing with a frustrum-shaped portion, an intake duct affixed to the frustrrn portion, a blower, for draw;

and packing machines which havev The flail blade has a double curvatu're,'the surface of 1 the flail blade having a leading arcuate portion and a trailing planar portion contiguous therewith, which portions define a first curvature. The upper and lower edges of the flail blade define a second curvature which conforms to the surface of the inside wall of the frus-.

truth to which the lower edge'is adjacent;

' The flail blade is affixed 'to'the flail at the arcuate portion, which is the leading portion as the fl'ail is 'rotated. The trailing planar portion defines a plane parallel to the plane of the larger opening of the'housing'l 1 It is an object of this invention to provide a flail for a lawn cleaning and packing machine which renders the machineefficieht touse. It is another object of this invention to provide a flail for a lawn cleaning and packing machine which will not tend to'shred debris before packing it intothe receptacle of the machine. in

Still another object of this invention is to provide a flail for a lawn cleaning and packing machine which will not dig into and therefore unpack debris which has already been packed. into the receptacle of the machine.

Another object of.this.=invention is to provide a flail which would beboth safer to operate and more dura- These objects and other features and advantages of this invention will become readily apparent by refer-' enee to the following description when taken in conjunction with' the accompanying-drawings.

.BRIEEDE sCRII? :TIoN OF THE DRAWINGS The appended drawings illustrate the invention,

wherei'nz FIG. 1 isa side elevational view, partly'in longitudinal section, depicting a lawn cleaning and packing machine utilizing theflails'of this'invention';

FIG. 2 'is'a perspective viewof the housing of the lawncleahing machine of FIG. 1,-

bris having beeri'removed;'

FIG/3'jis a perspective view of the housing as in FIG.

tures;

'FIGI'4'is anend elevational view of the housing with FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED Q IEMBODIMENT.

The lawn cleaning andpaeking machine, with which this :invention is conceme d, is depicted generally'at 11' in FIG, 1 .T'h m chine 11 iiicludes generally a platform 12, a blower unit 13, h gptme 14, and a cleaning and packing unit 16.

The platform l 2 ,:sho wn in FIG. 1, includes a substan tially rectangular base 17, having rear wheels 18 (only one is ,shown) and frontcas ters lj5P only one is shown) affixed thereto A handle 2'11 is aff xed to the rear of the platforml2, for manual control of the machine ll Rearand front blower unit mounting blocks 22,23 are affixed to the rear ofthe platform 12. A housing mountingandsealing wall24 is affixed toward the cen ter .ofythe platform l 2..And a receptacle mounting block 26 is locatedat the front of the platform l2.

The blower unit .13, illustrated in F G. 1, includes a motor 27 which operates a: belt-and-pully structure 28 which .in turn ..drives. a rotary positive pump (not shown). A. housing member 29 encloses the rotary pump land supports-the motor 27.,The, housing member 29 is supported by the mounting blocks 22, 23. The. shaft of the rotary blower. extends out ofthe housing 29 at 30.--- I I 3.. The receptacle-'l4,-depictied in FIG, 1, includes an internal plastic bag 31 and anexternal cylindrical container 32 which is closedat oneend. -A handle 33 is affixe'cl to'the-co'ntainer 32. Thebag .31- is affixed to the cleaningand package unit 16 at 34. The container 32 is mounted in the mounting and sealing wall 24 and upon'the mounting block 26-. An annular rubber sealing or*check valve structure-'35 is-provided between the container 32 and wall 24;An exhaust conduit 36 is affixed between the housing-member 29 and the receptacle 14. The conduit 36 passes through the wall 24 and the receptacle for de sealing structure 35, being located above the cleaning and packing unit 16.

The cleaning and packing unit 16 illustrated in FIG. 1, is affixed to the platform 12 between the blower unit 13 and receptacle 14. The unit 16 includes a housing, indicated generally at 37, having a frustrum-shaped portion 38 and a cylindrical-shaped portion 39. The frustrum portion 38 is affixed at its srrtaller end to the blower unit 13 and at its larger end is contiguous with the cylindrical portion 39 and is mounted in the wall 24. The bag 31 of the receptacle 14 is affixed to the cylindrical portion 39 at 34. The rotary blower shaft 31) extends through the frustrm portion 38 along the central axis thereof. v

Referring to FIGS, 1 and 2, an air intake 41 is tangentially affixed to the frustrum portion 38. A flexible hose 42 is affixed to the intake 41, FIG. 4 discloses ribs 43 disposed arcuately upon the inside surface of the frustrum portion 38. The ribs 43 arc in a counter-clockwise manner as viewed in FIG. 4. A screen 44 is affixed over the smaller end of the frustrum portion 38 leading into the housing 29 of the blower unit 13. Wiper blades 45 are affixed to the blower shaft extension 30 adjacent to the screen 44.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a circular baffle 46 hav ing a rigid central portion 47 and a pliable edge 48 is freely coupled to the end of the blower shaft extension 30. The baffle 46 is centrally disposed in the large opening of the frustrum portion 38.

The flail unit 49 is indicated most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 5. The flail unit 49 is affixed to the blower shaft extension 30 intermediate the wiper 45 and baffle 46 and includes a mounting block 51 which is affixed to the extension 30. The unit 49 also includes a plurality of uniformly radially spaced flails 52. Each flail 52 has a shaft 53 with a pin 54 affixed normal thereto near to an inner end portion 56 of the shaft 53. The portion 56 is formed normal to the shaft 53 and parallel to the pin 54 and is rotatably received by the mounting block 51 near one of its corners.

The improvement of this invention is directed to the outer ends of the flails 52 and is best illustrated in FIGS. and 6. The shaft 53 of each flail 52 has a curved outer end portion 57 to which a flail blade or striking portion 58 is affixed. The flail blade 58 has a flat surface which includes a leading arcuate portion 59 and a trailing straight or planar portion 61* contiguous with the arcu'ate portion 59, The flail blade 58 also includes upper and lower curved edges 62, 63, a roundedtrailing edge 64 and a sharply tapered leading edge 66. The flail blade 58 therefore conforms to twocurvatures, a first curvature defined by the arcuate and planar portions 59, 61, and a second curvature defined by lower edge 63.

When the shafts 53 of the flails 52 are extended normal to the extension 30, the curved outer end portions 57 are in a direction opposite that of the ribs 43 and also are toward the large opening of the frustrum portion 38 and away from the plane defined by the shafts 53. The straight portions 61 of the flail blades 58 define a plane which is adjacent to and parallel to the plane of the large opening of the frustrum portion 38, The lower edge 63 conforms to the inner surface of the frustrum 38. The part of the edge 63 contiguous with the straight portion 61 defines an arc of a circle, and the part of the edge 63 contiguous with the arcuate portion 59 defines a curve.

When in operation. the -motor'27 drives the blower (not shown) which in turn draws air via the conduit 36 out of the receptacle 14 thereby aiding in early expansion of the bag 31. The check valve structure 35 is drawn against the container 32 thereby assuring a tight couplingv Air is also drawn into the housing 37 via the intake 41 and hose 42. The air enters the frustrum portion 38 tangentially and thereby is forced to flow within the frustrum 38 in acircular path. Particles of debris tend to flow outwardly toward the slanting wall of the frustrum 38 and forward toward the large opening of the frustrum 38. Should any particles attempt to enter the blower unit 13, they are stopped by the screen 44 and knocked outward by the wipers 45. The rotating flails 52 drive the debris particles past the pliable edge 48 of the baffle 46 and into the bag 31. The baffle 46 prevents the debris from returning to the frustrum 38. The baffle 46 rotates with extension 30 but is freely coupled thereto so that should debris become packed all the way up to the baffle 46, the baffle 46 can stop rotating without hampering the extension 30.

When the flails 52 are not being rotated, they hang directly downward or rest against the pliable edge 48 of the baffle 46. When rotating, the flails 52 are prevented from swinging too far past a perpendicular relationship with extension 30 by the pins 54 which will strike against the mounting block 51.

When the flails 52 are' rotating, the arcuate portions 59 are leading and the straight portions 61 trailingv The flail blades 58 no longer utilize large amounts of energy while chopping up debris. The straight portions 61 do not extend past the large opening of the frustrum 38, and therefore energy is no longer wasted by the flail blades 58 digging into already packed debris. The flail blades 58 are made safer since any hand or finger which may enter the large opening of'the frustrum 38 will be batted away rather than cut. Thus it can be seen that the objects of the invention have been satisfied.

Although a prefcrred'embodiment has been disclosed herein, it is to be remembered that various modifica-.

tions and alternate constructions can be made thereto without departing from the full scope of the invention. as defined in the appended claims.

' I claim:

1. A vacuum cleaning and mechanical packing device comprising: a housing including a frustum-shaped portion with a first opening in the smaller end of said portion and a second opening in the larger end thereof, a fan connected to said housing outside said frustumshaped portion communicating with said first opening,

tum-shaped portion, a shaft rotatably mounted on the longitudinal axis of said housing, power means connected to said shaft to cause rotation thereof, a plurality of elongated flails each having on one end thereof 7 pivotal mounting means connected to said shaft at a point diametric to the conical surface within said frustur'n-shaped housing that is adjacent said second opening, said pivotal means being distributed about said point of said shaft so that said flails extend on substantially equally spaced radii as they are extended outwardly from the shaft by centrifugal force during rotation of the shaft, the ends opposite said pivotal means turned at an angle to form respective paddle-like portions and the flails being of such length to permit said paddle-like portions to revolve adjacent said conical surface, said paddle-like ends also turned in a slanting direction toward said second opening along said conical surface such that said paddle-like ends slant rewardly relative to their direction of movement, a circular baffle disposed coaxially within said frustum-shaped portion between said second opening and said point of said shaft to which said flails are attached, the baffle having substantially shorter diameter than the diameter of the adjacent surface of said frustum-shaped portion to allow debris that is stuck by said flails to pass by the edge of said baffle, and a receptacle connected to said housing and communicating with said second opening to receive debris forced around said baffle by operation of said flails, the improvement comprising:

each of said flails having a formation with a double curvature;

a first curvature seen by viewing a said flail in plan by looking down from a crosssection taken through the shaft for said flail, wherein said flail curves in a first portion away from said shaft toward the straight inner edge of the larger second opening of said frusturn-shaped portion, and then wherein the flail terminates in a second trailing portion of a substantially planar nature disposed parallel the said straight inner edge; and

said second curvature seen by viewing a said flail in side elevation, said flail having upper and lower identically curved edges extended from said shaft, the lower edge of which is disposed contiguous and complimentary to the inner surface of said frustumshaped portion. 

1. A VACUUM CLEANING AND MECHANICAL PACKING DEVICE COMPRISING: A HOUSING INCLUDING A FRUSTUM SHAPED PORTION WITH A FIRST OPENING IN THE SMALLER END OF SAID PORTION AND A SECOND OPENING IN THE LARGER END THEREOF A FAN CONNECTED TO SAID HOUSING OUTSIDE SAID FRUSTUN-SHAPED PORTION COMMUNICATING WITH SAID FIRST OPENING TO DRAW A STEAM OF AIR THEREFROM AN INTAKE DUCT FOR PASSAGE OF AIR AND DEBRIS HAVING AN OUTLET DIRECTED INWARDLY SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENTIALLY AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY TO THE TAPERED INNER SURFACE OF SAID FRASTUM SHAPED PORTION NEAR SAID FIRST OPENING SUCH THAT A STREAM OF AIR AND DEBRIS CARRIED THEREIN AS A RESULT OF OPERATION OF SAID FAN ARE DRAWN INWARDLY THROUGH SAID DUCT TO FORM A CIRCULAR STEAM WITHIN SAID FRUASTUM-SHAPED PORTION THE DEBRIS IN SAID CIRCULAR STREAM TENDING TO MOVE PERIPHERALLY TO BE ADJACENT THE CONICL SURFACE OF SAID FRUSTUM-SHAPED PORTION A SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID HOUSING POWER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT TO CAUSE ROTATION THEREOF A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED FLAILS, EACH HAVING ON ONE END THEREOF PIVOTAL MOUNTING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT AT A POINT DIAMETRIC TO THE CONICAL SURFACE WITHIN SAID FRUSTUM-SHAPED HOUSING THAT IS ADJACENT SAID SECOND OPENING SAID PIVOTAL MEANS BEING DISTRIBUTED ABOUT SAID POINT OF SAID SHAFT SO THAT SAID FLAILS EXTEND ON SUBSTANTIALLY EQUALLY SPACED RADII AS THEY ARE EXTENDED OUTWARDLY FROM THE SHAFT BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE DURING ROTATION OF THE SHAFT THE ENDS OPPOSITE SAID PIVOTAL MEANS TURNED AT AN ANGLE TO FORM RESPECTIVE PADDLE-LIKE PORTIONS AND THE FLAILS BEING OF SUCH LENGTH TO PERMIT SAID PADDLELIKE PORTIONS TO REVOLVE ADJACENT SAID CONICAL SURFACE SAID PADDLE-LIKE EDS ALSO TURNED IN A SLANTING DIRECTION TOWARD SAID SECOND OPENING ALONG SAID CONICAL SURFACE SUCH THAT SAID PADDLE-LIKE ENDS SLANT REWARDLY RELATIVE TO THEIR DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT A CIRCULAR BAFFLE DISPOSED COAXIALLY WITHIN SAID FRUSTUM SHAPED PORTION BETWEEN SAID SECOND OPENING AND SAID POINT OF SAID SHAFT TO WHICH SAID FLAILS ARE ATTACHED THE BAFFLE HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY SHORTER DIAMETER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE ADJACENT SURFACE OF SAID FRUSTUM-SHAPED PORTION TO ALLOW DEBRIS THAT IS STUCK BY SAID FLAILS TO PASS BY THE EDGE OF SAID BAFFLE, AND A RECEPTACLE CONNECTED TO SAID HOUSING AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SECOND OPENING TO RECEIVE DEBRIS FORCED AROUND SAID BAFFLE BY OPERATON OF SAID FLAILS THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING, EACH OF SAID FLAILS HAVING A FORMATION WITH A DOUBLE CURVATURE, A FIRST CURVATURE SEEN BY VIEWING A SAID FLAIL IN PLAN BY LOOKING DOWN FROM A CROSS-SECTION TAKEN THROUGH THE SHAFT FOR SAID FLAIL WHEREIN SAID FLAIL CURVES IN A FIRST PORTION AWAY FROM SAID SHAFT TOWARD THE TRAIGHT INNER EDGE OF THE LARGER SECOND OPENING OF SAID FRUSTUM-SHAPED PORTION AND THEN WHEREIN THE FLAIL TERMINATES IN A SECOND TRAILING PORTION OF A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR NATURE DISPOSED PARALLEL THE SAID STRAIGHT INNER EDGE AND SAID SECOND CURVATURE SEEN BY VIEWING A SAID FLAIL IN SIDE ELEVATION SAID FLAIL HAVING UPPER AND LOWER IDENTICALLY CURVED EDGES EXTENDED FROM SAID SHAFT THE LOWER EDGE OF WHICH IS DISPOSED CONTIGUOUS AND COMPLIMENTARY TO THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID FRUSTUM-SHAPED PORTION. 